


tethered

by letek



Series: gestalt [1]
Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: ;), Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bruises, Feelings Realization, M/M, POV Alternating, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, shran and archer are constantly getting into physical altercations, what is up with that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27702904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letek/pseuds/letek
Summary: Jonathan Archer and Thy'lek Shran are cosmically tethered to each other. This story follows their encounters throughout the series as they begin to realize their connection and navigate a more complex relationship.
Relationships: Jonathan Archer/Thy'lek Shran
Series: gestalt [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2184963
Comments: 36
Kudos: 40





	1. intro

_gestalt:_

_a form that cannot be separated into parts without losing its essence;_

_a whole or completion_

Jonathan Archer thought of his soulmate more often than he would like to admit. He knew that his chances of ever actually meeting this person were slim. Contrary to what fairytales would have you believe, people who are spiritually tethered to one another don’t always find their way back together. In reality, they usually didn’t. Nowadays, people didn’t put so much weight on whether or not they spent their lives with “the one.” Archer didn’t blame them; he’d heard countless stories of unmet expectations, of disappointment, of tragedy. But he’d also heard the good stories- love tales of chance encounters, of perfect dates, of completion. Deep down, Archer liked to believe that he could look forward to that in his future. He felt comforted by the fact that there was someone out there with whom he was undeniably connected. Every time a bruise, a scrape, or a distant lingering pain presented itself seemingly by its own volition, Archer was content in knowing that it was from his soulmate. 

\---------------

Thy’lek Shran rarely thought about his soulmate. Sure, everyone on Andoria had the markings, the bruises and cuts that would show up whenever their person was injured, but the idea of a “one true love” had rarely ever been accepted in his society. Andorians had always found comfort in groups- romantic pairings of two were very hard to come by. That’s not to say his people didn’t believe in or accept a soulmate bonding- they just didn’t place very much importance on it. And Shran was fine with that. His soulmate’s markings rarely showed up on his skin anyway. Sometimes he forgot he even had this other person that he was connected to, but then he would get a random bruise or feel a phantom ache and he would be reminded of his soulmate on the other end of the tether. Occasionally, those reminders caused him to spend a few moments thinking about this mysterious person- wondering who they were, what they were like, if he would ever meet them. But those thoughts were infrequent and fleeting; there were always more important things that Shran could occupy his mind with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- so i essentially have the whole fic planned out. i don't expect the chapters to be super long (definitely longer than this one tho). they're essentially just little vignettes from the episodes  
> \- every chapter will have both shran and archer's pov (archer's text being left-aligned and shran's being right-aligned)  
> \- last thing, just to make it clear, in this au a person gets the bruises/cuts/etc. from their soulmate and if they get hurt badly then the other can feel a lingering pain


	2. a chance encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> takes place during 1x07 "the andorian incident"  
> as a result, there is a lot of violence in this chapter

Archer’s mind was reeling too much to put the pieces of the puzzle together when he encountered the Andorians at the P’Jem sanctuary. He was too focused on finding a way to get him and his crew safely back aboard Enterprise. On top of that, the Andorians had given him a hell of a beating. Suffice to say, his observation skills were not at the top of their game. If they were, he would’ve noticed the Andorian leader of the group slightly wince and twitch whenever he got kicked or punched. But Archer was too busy trying to survive to be aware of those minutiae. It wasn’t until the Andorian (Archer heard the others call him Shran) got up close to his face that he paused and really considered what he was seeing. After they discovered the hidden sensor array, after the threat of danger to his crew was gone, only then did Archer notice the bruises and the broken lip that Shran had on his face, and they matched up perfectly to his. 

Shran spoke to him, “We’re in your debt.” 

Archer looked at the pale blue lips as the alien spoke and he noticed dark blue blood seeping from a small crack. Archer touched his own lip, where he felt pain, and drew his hand back to see his blood- dark red. Archer looked at Shran’s eyes as they followed his movements and, after a few seconds, their gazes locked onto each other. Shran furrowed his brow and swiftly turned away from Archer as he made his way out of the sanctuary. 

A fleeting thought crossed Archer’s mind in that moment, as he looked at their matching bruises and scrapes. A little voice in his head told him that maybe he had found his match, that the Andorian was the person on the other end of his tether. 

Archer almost immediately quashed that idea. He told himself that there were so many other logical explanations for why Shran was hurt. More than likely, he just wasn’t around to see whatever fight went down between Shran and whoever was unlucky enough to be his sparring partner. 

That made more sense. This Andorian wasn’t his soulmate and the fact that a thought like that even crossed his mind was ridiculous. 

\---------------

An excessive amount of adrenaline coursed through Shran’s body during the events at P’Jem, so much that his tolerance for pain was even higher than it normally was. So, when Shran first met the pinkskin, when the alien was trying to pathetically convince him that he wasn’t allied with the Vulcans, and Shran rammed the butt of his rifle into the man’s stomach, he had barely felt the pain that he otherwise would’ve. Though the faint ache that he did feel was enough to give him pause. Shran wondered if perhaps he moved wrong and tore a muscle in his abdomen. He didn’t pay it much mind after that though; he had more pressing matters to attend to.

Shran furiously dragged the pinkskin into a secluded a room, an area where he could get some real answers out of him. Immediately, he swung at him, landing a hard punch on the man’s right eye. 

“Where’s the sensor array?” Shran demanded. 

The human looked up at him, a bruise had already formed near his eye, “From what I’m told, there isn’t one.” 

That was not the answer Shran wanted to hear; he rammed his elbow into the man’s mouth, causing his lip to burst open and ooze a deep red. 

“Where is it?!” 

The pinkskin growled at him, “I don’t know.” 

Shran twisted his body and put his entire weight into a backhand swing against the man’s face. As soon as his hand made contact, he felt a slight pain in his jaw. Shran quickly brought his hand up to his lip and felt the wetness of blood on his fingers. He immediately wiped it away, hoping that no one had noticed. He certainly had no explanation for it. 

The human tried to stand up when he heard his communication device go off, but Shran’s associate, Tholos, struck his back, right between the shoulder blades. The pinkskin fell back down to his knees and Shran involuntarily let out a small wince as a dull ache spread across his spine. Shran felt his heart rate increase- frustrated at this mysterious pain that afflicted him while he was trying to complete his work. 

Shran noticed more pain later that day when Tholos punched Captain Archer (Shran had learned the alien's name after talking to his crew) for refusing to tell them information he claimed he had. There was a sharp pain in his abdomen as Tholos’ fist met the human’s soft body. The ache radiated from a central point, where it felt as if Shran had been stabbed by an icepick. He involuntarily jerked forward, nearly falling onto his knees from the unexpected pain. 

Tholos looked over at him with furrowed brows. Shran tried to brush it off and turned his focus back to Archer, “What did you come to tell us?” 

“Well that depends, what do you wanna know?” Tholos kicked the pinkskin, sending his body falling back down to the ground. Shran felt the air leave his lungs and he tried to remain composed. The human was still refusing to give them an answer, so Tholos punched him in the jaw and Shran once again experienced that pain as if he were the person on the receiving end of Tholos’ rage. 

This didn’t make any sense! What was wrong with him? Something was happening to his body and this stupid pinkskin was only making it worse! He needed the information that this Captain Archer possessed. Once they got it, his crew could go back to Andoria. He could see a physician. There was obviously something deeply wrong with him and he needed to be examined as soon as possible. If only this human would stop his asinine chattering and reveal the information he knew! Shran decided he could no longer handle Archer’s incessant babbling and struck his face with the back of his hand. 

“You must enjoy pain,” Shran spat as he felt an inexplicable ache on the right side of his face and wiped off the blood that dripped down from his lip.

His colleagues dragged Archer out of the room and Shran stood there, contemplating everything that had been happening that day. Eventually, he sunk to the ground- a lingering pain radiated throughout his entire body. It was so similar to the type of pain that he felt whenever his soulmate was injured. Shran thought back to the time a few cycles ago where his body felt like this. He assumed that his soulmate must have gotten into a particularly challenging fight, but that was nothing compared to what he was feeling now- this pain was too visceral. Besides, there was no way that alien was his soulmate. 

But then why did his aches and pain perfectly match up to the injuries that the pinkskin was sustaining? Why did Shran feel every punch and kick that was given to this human? Why was the skin around his eye turning a dark shade of purple? Why was he bleeding from a lip that was never touched? Shran looked down at the dried blue blood that coated his palm and sighed. 

Shran was surprised when the pinkskin let him and his ship go free with the damning information on P’Jem he had obtained. He expected that he was going to have to put up a fight to get out of there. Instead, Archer willingly gave him the proof of the sensor, siding with his people, stating that the Vulcans were wrong. Shran thought that perhaps these humans weren’t as conniving as the Vulcans. 

Shran looked into Archer’s eyes before he left, “We’re in your debt.” 

As Shran spoke, he noticed the human looking at his broken lip, at the bruises on his face. He watched as the pinkskin moved his hand up to his face and touched his bottom lip, looking at the red blood that stained his fingers. Archer looked back up at him, and for a moment Shran was afraid that the human was going to say something, say any of the thoughts that he had been trying so hard not to think of that day. Shran quickly turned away before Archer could say a word. 


	3. wandering thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> takes place during 1x15 "shadows of p'jem"

After his meeting with Archer at P’Jem, Shran had started to pay more attention to the mysterious bruises that showed up on his body and to the phantom aches he would sometimes feel. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, every time it happened, he wondered what kind of trouble that stupid pinkskin had gotten himself into. It’s not that Shran was convinced that Archer was his soulmate; it’s just that, for some reason, Shran found that his mind had frequently wandered to the pinkskin and their encounter. Sometimes he had trouble accepting everything that happened as mere coincidence. When Shran got back to Andoria after the P’Jem incident, he went to see a physician but there was nothing wrong with him- he was in perfect health. The physician suggested that it was most likely a simple case of empathetic pain. In other words, the lingering aches, the bruises, the broken lip, everything that he suffered from that day was a direct result of whatever ailment that his soulmate must have suffered- ailments that Archer happened to have endured that day, as well. Shran didn’t like to acknowledge that fact though. He was the type of person who liked concrete evidence to back up any claim, especially a claim that was as ridiculous as that one. But Shran knew that his chances of crossing paths with the human again were slim and he would never be able to get any real proof. That was fine with him. He was already frustrated that his mind had apparently formed some type of irrational attachment to the thought of this pinkskin. The less he ruminated over it, the better. And he knew that, over time, he would completely forget about Archer. It was hard to forget someone he owed a debt to, however- especially when he was in possession of an item that belonged to that person. Shran didn’t know if he would have a chance to meet Archer again one day and repay his debt, give back his scanning device. Until then, it rested in a drawer in Shran’s desk- a physical reminder of the thoughts he wanted so much to extinguish. 

\----------------------------

When Archer was informed that the Andorians had destroyed the Vulcan sanctuary at P’Jem, he wasn’t all too surprised. If he were in their shoes, he didn’t think his response to the Vulcan deceit would have been much different. He was just relieved that no one had been killed. All the talk of P‘Jem reminded him of the Andorian commander, Shran, who he had had such an unpleasant experience with only a couple months before. A few times since that incident, Archer’s thoughts had wandered to him. As much as he chided himself for even considering the idea that Shran might be his soulmate, Archer still couldn’t completely rid the thought from his mind. He knew it wasn’t logical, that he barely had any proof. Even still, something inside of him buzzed whenever he thought of Shran and he didn’t know what to do about it. It really didn’t matter much though because Archer knew that he would most likely never see the Andorian again. So, there wasn’t much use in paying mind to those thoughts anyway. 

\--------------------------- 

Shran and his team had been working for a few weeks on an unremarkable planet in the Coridian system that gave them a better chance at hacking into and hearing Vulcan messages across subspace. One day, his communications officer picked up a message between the planet’s chancellor and a ship called _Enterprise_ , captained by a Jonathan Archer. Shran could hardly believe it. What were the odds of the pinkskin visiting this insignificant planet at the same time they were on a covert mission? Shran shook his head, Archer and his crew had no business being here; it certainly wasn’t safe for them. Shran grabbed the scanner from out of his desk, knowing he was about to have the chance to repay his debt to Archer. 

\--------------------------

Archer reeled back as the butt of the guard’s weapon made direct contact with his nose. He immediately felt a stream of warm blood flow from his nostrils. He was starting to get real tired of getting beaten by aliens on this so-called peaceful mission of exploration. Him and T’Pol needed to find a way to get out of there and back to the ship; they were obviously an unwelcome presence to some of the people on this planet. 

\--------------------------

Shran sighed as he felt an unexpected twinge of pain in his nose and blood began to drip down onto his lips. He wiped it away, wondering what other pain was in store for him. He had told his men to keep track of _Enterprise_ and its communications. They had told Shran that the captain and the Vulcan female had been taken hostage by a local rebel faction. Shran had been working on a plan to free them when one of his officers informed him that another shuttlepod from _Enterprise_ was coming down to the planet in an attempt to rescue Archer and the Vulcan. 

Shran hissed, “Stupid pinkskins. Keep track of where they land and bring them to me.” 

Shran recognized the face of one of the men in front of him from their encounter at P’Jem. 

The one he knew spoke to him, “What the hell are you doing here?” 

Shran scowled, “Looking out for you pinkskins.” 

Shran filled in the humans on why him and his crew were on the planet and why Archer and the Vulcan had been taken hostage by the local people. He also informed them that the rebels had no intent on returning their hostages and that once they received their weapons, Archer and the Vulcan would be killed. 

“Fortunately for you, we have a relationship with the downtrodden here and I have been working on a way to free your captain and the Vulcan.” 

“You tried to kill us last time we met. Why are you trying to help us now?” 

“I haven't... slept well since our encounter at the Vulcan sanctuary. I don’t like being indebted to anyone, least of all your captain.” Shran liked to think that the reason he hadn’t slept well, that the reason he thought of Archer so much was because of the looming debt over his head. He knew there was more to it though, but he would never tell anyone that. Truthfully, Shran didn’t want to know what it would feel like if the rebels actually did kill Archer. He had heard unsettling stories of soulmates experiencing the other’s deaths in disturbing ways. 

Not that Archer was his soulmate. 

Well, regardless, he didn’t want to risk it. 

These pinkskin friends of Archer’s had started to annoy Shran not five minutes into their meeting. They doubted his and Tholos’ ability to successfully carry out the rescue mission. 

“It’s not your concern,” Shran seethed. 

“It is if you get the captain killed.” 

Shran clenched his jaw; Archer getting killed just might have been his concern, too. 

\------------------------

The small communication device that Archer had found hidden in his food a few hours prior went off. 

It was Trip’s voice, “We’re about half a kilometer away.” 

“Just the two of you?” Archer was worried that him and Malcolm might not be able to take out all of the security guards on their own. 

“Not exactly, we met up with some old friends down here- Andorians. Apparently one of them thinks he owes you a favor.” 

_Shran_. Archer wondered what he was doing on this planet. Archer didn't understand why, but his heart rate increased at the thought of seeing Shran again. He thought that he had convinced himself to dismiss the ridiculous soulmate idea but apparently he didn't do a good enough job. Archer sighed as he tried to expel the thoughts from his mind. He needed to focus on getting out of this place alive.

\-----------------------

As soon as Shran located the pinkskin and the Vulcan, he kneeled down to untie the rope from Archer’s hands. He could feel the human’s gaze scrutinize him. After untying his feet, Shran looked into Archer’s eyes as he stood up and offered the pinkskin his hand. 

Archer grabbed onto it and stood up, “Thanks.” 

Shran looked Archer’s body over, “Looks like they didn’t give you too bad of a beating.” 

“Just a bruised nose," Archer shrugged. "Nothing compared to your tactics."

Shran tried not to think about the implications of Archer getting hit in the nose earlier that day when he had gotten an inexplicable nosebleed. 

Shran reached into his pocket and pulled out the scanning device, “I believe this is yours.” Archer took it from him. “It’s the scanner you gave me from the Vulcan listening post.” 

“Seems you went to a lot of trouble to return it.” 

“I’m here for only one reason- I need a good night’s sleep,” He looked into Archer’s eyes sternly, “My debt is repaid.” 

As Shran walked away, he knew that his sleeping situation wasn’t about to get any better. Sure, he repaid his debt. However, this incident had given further proof to the possibility that Archer could be his soulmate and that was something he knew would keep him up at night.

\------------------------

Archer breathed a sigh of relief as Shran untied the rough ropes from his wrists. Even though the Andorian was standing right in front him, even though Archer could see him with his own eyes, he still could hardly believe their paths had crossed like this. Shran offered his hand to Archer and he took it, feeling the warmth and sweat on the icy blue skin. He stood face to face with Shran and Archer could have sworn that he saw dried up blood around Shran’s nostrils, like he’d been punched. Or hit by the end of a gun like Archer had been earlier that day. 

_No_. Archer decided that he was not going to entertain these soulmate thoughts any longer. There was no lingering blood on Shran's face. His mind must have been playing tricks on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> these past two chapters have mainly focused on shran's pov solely because he has more information and more reasons for suspecting that they're soulmates than archer does since archer is the one who's constantly been getting hurt (also explains why shran is a little more accepting of the whole idea compared to archer rn). next chapter will be similar- more shran focused. but i think the one after that will have more archer since he's the one punching shran in that episode. hope y'all are enjoying so far :)


	4. forging relationships

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> takes place during 2x15 "cease fire"

Shran was running out of options- his men were dying and the Vulcans were sending in new deployments of their troops. There was no way him and his team would be able to continue defending Weytahn until their own reinforcements arrived. The Vulcans sending him a message asking for a cease-fire would have never worked in the past, but now it seemed like he didn’t have much of a choice if he wanted to get his soldiers out of this battle alive. Shran knew that any negotiations with the Vulcans rarely turned out successful, but he thought of an option that could slightly increase those odds.

\--------------- 

Archer didn’t know what to think. He’d been under the impression that the Vulcans had requested his assistance in working out a cease-fire with the Andorians, but Soval wanted nothing to do with him. Why would Shran want him to serve as their mediator? The last time they met, they didn’t even have a full conversation. In fact, Shran looked pretty relieved to be out of Archer’s debt. Now him requesting Archer’s help in this dispute would make him indebted to Archer again. Regardless, even if Archer didn’t fully grasp Shran’s insistence on his being there, he knew that he needed to take this seriously. Archer wanted Shran to trust him. It’s clear that there was some part of Shran that already did, Archer just needed to make sure that he didn’t give Shran a reason to lose that trust. 

\----------------

Shran had his associates bring Archer to a secret location- a shabby old building on the edge of the city. He would be lying if he said that he didn’t have a nonsensical reaction to seeing Archer again. As soon as looked at the pinkskin’s face, Shran felt a warmth spread across his body- pooling in his cheeks and the palms of his hands. He’d had a lot of time to think about the circumstances surrounding Archer; as he’d suspected, it often kept him up at night. Shran was still slightly resistant to the idea of his soulmate being a human. It didn’t make sense to him; it seemed like it would be too complicated. Shran kept telling himself that all of the evidence he had wasn’t enough, but something deep inside of him told him to stop resisting. He was tired of being in this place of not quite knowing the truth. He thought that perhaps him calling Archer here was a way of trying to accept the possibility of them being soulmates. The truth is, Shran thought about Archer a lot, whether he wanted to or not. He wanted to see Archer again, and this was the perfect opportunity.

“I imagined my first diplomatic mission would involve sitting around a big table, toasting with champagne, signing things with lots of pens.” 

Shran smiled, something about Archer- the way he spoke, the way he carried himself- had never failed to impress him. Even at their first meeting, when he was trying to get information out of Archer, Shran noticed his charming personality.

“The pinkskin sense of humor,” Shran chuckled, he knew that these negotiations with the Vulcans wouldn’t be so bad with Archer around.

\----------------

Archer knew that Shran wasn’t behind this. Even if he didn’t find the Andorians entirely trustworthy, Shran was different. In both of the times they’d met in the past, Archer could sense that Shran was someone who kept his word. And it turned out, Archer was right. Shran didn’t know that a group of his own people had planned to shoot down his and Soval’s shuttlepod- it was Tarah, Shran’s lieutenant. 

“You fired on my shuttle. You’re trying to kill Soval, undermine everything that Shran is trying to do here- why? Do you want a war with the Vulcans?” 

“All we want is a chance to fight for what’s ours before cowards like Shran negotiate it away.” 

Something in Tarah’s response upset Archer. Shran had taken the difficult step to begin negotiations, to end this battle, to move forward in the right direction. And he was betrayed by those working closest to him because of it- called a coward for trying to prevent more conflict and casualties. 

When Tarah attacked him, Archer had no problem finding the anger to fight back. She punched him in the nose. It seemed like every time he was around Shran he was always getting bloody noses. Tarah kicked him in the chest and the breath was knocked out of his lungs as he fell through the floor. Archer pulled himself up and landed a strong right hook, sending Tarah falling to the ground. He got up and grabbed ahold of an Andorian rifle that was on the ground. Right at that moment, Shran and two of his men came up the stairs and drew their weapons on him. Archer noticed a streak of blood running from Shran’s left nostril to his cheek, like it had been wiped away in a hurry. He looked down at the back of Shran’s hand and saw another smear of blood. Archer couldn’t help but think about how every time he got a bloody nose, Shran got one too. 

\--------------- 

Shran had heard that Archer and Soval were being fired upon and ran to their location. He felt a sharp pain in his nose, immediately followed by a dull ache throughout his entire back. A trickle of blood ran down from his nostril and he quickly wiped it away as he ran up the stairs to where he heard fighting.

Archer was holding a rifle to Tarah, so Shran and his men drew their weapons on him. Archer threw down the gun and looked into Shran’s eyes, “I was only defending myself.” 

Tarah scoffed, “He was ready to kill me. You saw for yourself. Apparently these pinkskins aren’t as honorable as you thought.” 

Archer moved even closer to Shran, they were barely a foot away from each other. Shran was unsurprised at seeing the blood that was leaking from Archer’s nose. 

“I suppose I shot the ambassador to make my story more convincing.” 

Shran ground his teeth, “Why would my lieutenant, a loyal member of the Imperial Guard, lie to me?” 

“I said I’d bring Soval to meet you and I damn near got killed getting him here.” Shran looked away from Tarah and was met with a serious glare from Archer. “I came because _you_ asked me. Because you thought I could be trusted. Check Soval’s wound. Check our shuttle. You’ll find Andorian weapon signatures.”

Shran looked into Archer’s eyes- he could tell the human was telling the truth. It wouldn’t make sense for him and the Vulcans to have planned this. Tarah had already expressed her doubts of Shran’s decision to negotiate. It wasn’t all too surprising that she had been the one who planned this attack on their shuttle, but he was still shocked and disappointed at her betrayal.

Shran ordered his men to take Tarah away. He looked over to Archer and Soval, “We have a lot to discuss.” 

\-------------- 

The beginning negotiations between the Andorians and the Vulcans had been difficult to say the least. Archer could see why these two species had a tendency to have long drawn-out negotiations. But he was happy that they seemed to be productive. 

“The Imperial Council will not be satisfied until Vulcan recognizes our claim to Weytahn.” 

Archer looked over to Shran, “I believe someone once defined a compromise as a solution that neither side is happy with.” 

“In that case, these talks have been extremely successful.” It took everything in Archer’s control to not smirk at Shran’s petty joke. 

Everyone stood up as Shran offered a celebratory drink, “To the cease-fire. It wouldn’t have been possible without the help of our human friends.” Shran smirked at Archer and raised his glass in a toast. Archer felt something as he looked into Shran’s eyes- a feeling that he hadn’t experienced in a long time. The last time he saw Shran, he told himself that he wouldn’t give in to the soulmate game that his mind was playing with him. But Shran had another bloody nose, just like Archer’s. And every time Archer looked into his eyes, he swore there was something deeper between them- like he could feel the tie that bound them together. Archer was never one for gushy romance, but whenever he was with Shran he felt himself falling under its spell. 

Soval added to the toast, “And to the successful continuation of these talks on Andoria.” 

“I trust there’ll be more accomplished than just talk.” 

Once again, Archer tried to hide the grin that was begging to form on his face. Archer liked Shran. He didn’t know him very well yet, but Archer knew that he was trust-worthy, that he cared about his people, and that he was willing to compromise. He was also funny. Archer appreciated all of those traits in a person. As much as he didn’t want to succumb to his unsupported inner belief that Shran was his soulmate, Archer had already begun to take a liking to him, and he wasn’t sure if it was completely platonic. 

As Soval was leaving the room, he turned around and said one last thing, “Captain, your presence here has not been overly meddlesome.” 

Archer smiled politely and he watched as the remaining Vulcans left the room, leaving him and Shran alone. 

Shran looked over to him, “I think he likes you, pinkskin.” 

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Archer chuckled. 

“Well, I certainly appreciated your presence at these negotiations, as well.” 

“I’m happy to help.” 

Shran broke their eye contact and looked down, “I also feel the need to apologize for almost getting you killed.” 

Archer shook his head, “That wasn’t your fault.” 

“The ones responsible were under my command! My own lieutenant... I should’ve been more vigilant. If you would’ve died- if Soval would’ve died- I-” 

“Shran, we didn’t die.” Archer softened his voice, “Don’t worry about it.” 

Shran looked back up at him, “You’re a good one, pinkskin.” 

Archer smiled, “You know this means you owe me again, right?” 

“Of course I know that. I was well-aware of the repercussions of requesting your assistance here.” 

“Well, I just hope that the next time we meet- when you repay your debt- that I won’t be getting beaten up. It seems like every time you’re around I’m getting punched in the face.” 

“I sincerely hope so, too.” Shran mumbled, “For both of our sakes.” 

Archer wasn’t sure if he had heard him correctly, “What do you mean?” 

Shran looked taken aback, “Oh, uh nothing... That ale must be getting to me.” 

Archer simply nodded. Did Shran acknowledge...? No, he must’ve meant something else and Archer’s soulmate idea-infested brain just interpreted it incorrectly. But what if Shran suspected that they were soulmates, too? Archer had been the one who was constantly getting hurt and beaten. Shran would be on the receiving end of those injuries, too. So, Shran would have more evidence to support the soulmate theory. And that statement did seem like an acknowledgement of it. Archer shook his head- it had been a long day. Maybe he wasn’t thinking clearly anymore. Anyway, there was no use in obsessing over it because he sure as hell would not bring it up to Shran. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- it seems like the more i write this the more i realize that there needs to be more chapters (i've already half-written a cute little post-canon fluff chapter) so i have 11 planned out atm. who knows maybe more down the line


	5. falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> takes place during 3x13 "proving ground"

It had been months since Shran had seen or heard from the humans. He wasn’t all too surprised by it, having gotten wind of the Xindi attack on Earth. He figured Archer and his crew were on a pointed mission now- no time for languidly exploring the galaxy in search of adventure and new scientific discoveries. No, they were at war. When the Imperial Guard informed him of the Xindi attack, Shran knew that the humans would need their help. Uzaveh knows the Vulcans would never risk themselves or their ships for the humans. Shran didn’t think Earth had other allies that would be willing to fight with them; so that left his own people. Shran had been the main proponent arguing for the Imperial Guard to lend their assistance to the humans. He knew that their help offering would be a great act of allyship and strengthen Andoria’s relations with Earth. Thankfully, the Imperial Council agreed. So, now here he was, bringing his crew into the dangerous expanse to help his new friends get revenge- Shran repaying his debt to Archer yet again.

In the months that he hadn’t seen the pinkskins, Shran had had a lot of time to think. He knew that Archer was his soulmate- there was no sense in trying to deny it anymore. All of the “coincidences” throughout their encounters were just proof- plain and simple evidence that pointed to him and Archer being connected to each other. Shran no longer had any qualms about Archer being his soulmate- he had fully accepted it. A while ago, he wasn’t happy at the prospect of being intrinsically tied to a human but he knew there was nothing he could do to change fate. If Archer was his person, then it was Shran’s duty to treat him as such. Andorians had always been fiercely loyal to their partners and to their families- a people who take their interpersonal relationships very seriously. As a result, Shran would stop at nothing to protect Archer and make sure he was safe.

\---------------- 

The anomaly sent waves of energy through the ship, shaking it to its core. With the hull losing integrity and the helm unresponsive, Archer wasn't sure what his next options were. 

Travis spoke up, “Sir, I’m picking up something out there. I think it’s a ship.” 

“Can you identify it?” Archer didn’t need another thing to worry about right now. He hoped it wasn’t an enemy ship ready to attack. 

“There’s too much distortion.” 

All of a sudden, the ship became completely calm and unmoving. 

“A tractor beam’s locked onto us. We’ve been pulled out,” T’Pol informed him. 

Hoshi’s console beeped, “They’re hailing us.” 

Archer breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that whoever they encountered in this anomaly field wasn’t going to be an added threat. “I guess we owe someone a thank you.” 

Archer nodded at Hoshi to put the ship through and as soon as Commander Shran’s face popped up on the viewscreen, he felt any remaining trepidation leave his body. 

Shran grinned at him, “Captain Archer, look at the trouble you’ve gotten your pink skin into this time.” 

Archer smiled back at him. He’d been so long in the expanse, he forgot what it felt like to encounter something, someone he could trust. 

\------------------ 

Shran looked at Archer from across the table and noticed the darkness and the heaviness in his eyes. It was a look all too familiar for Shran- the evidence of war openly displayed on a person’s face. 

“How did you find us?” 

“We have a record of your warp signature from our last encounter. Our ships are considerably faster than _Enterprise_. It wasn’t difficult to catch up with you.”

Archer furrowed his brow, “I just don’t understand why you’re here.”

“Archer, your world was brutally attacked. The Imperial Guard thought you needed an ally. Since your friends, the Vulcans,” Shran spit out the word like it was toxic, “refused to come into the expanse, we’ve come to your aid.”

“I- I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how I could even begin to repay you for this.”

“Well, lucky for you, you don’t need to. This is me evening out the score.”

Archer smiled, “Thank you, Shran.”

That smile made Shran feel a warmth that filled up his belly. He had never been so enamored with another person before. In truth, his affection for Archer made him a little uncomfortable. Being with a soulmate was an entirely new experience and he was nervous to see how it would all play out. He didn’t want to mess it up.

Shran thought about how the _Kumari_ got there just in time, that if he arrived even a few minutes later, he might’ve found _Enterprise_ floating aimlessly- nothing but a pile of debris. He didn’t know what he would’ve done or how he would’ve reacted in that situation. If anything happened to Archer, right after he finally accepted that they were soulmates, Shran didn’t think he would be able to recover from something like that.

Shran spoke softly, “I wasn’t sure we’d find you alive.”

Shran noticed Archer scrutinize him for a few seconds, like he was trying to figure out the meaning of Shran’s uncharacteristically sincere tone. Shran chuckled inwardly to himself, Archer was going to have to get used to his emotional side.

“Well, I’m glad you got here when you did,” Archer replied.

Shran grabbed a bottle of Andorian ale and set the glasses on the table in front of him, “Under the circumstances, I’d say we have something to celebrate.”

Archer hesitated, “I appreciate the gesture, but we have a lot of repairs to make and I need to make sure the crew-”

“I assure you, your crew is doing a fine job of making them.” Shran looked into his eyes deeply, “Have a drink with me.”

Archer looked down and shook his head, “I don’t know. I can’t just-”

Shran reached over the table and put his hand on Archer’s forearm, “You’ve earned a brief respite, Archer.” Shran let his hand linger, discovering how it felt to touch Archer gently, then reluctantly removed his hand and began pouring the bottle of Andorian ale into the glasses, “Let yourself relax for a while.”

Archer smiled, “Okay, but only a little while.”

Shran grinned proudly, “I took the liberty of bringing a few extra bottles. I figured you could use some if you’re staying out here in the expanse.”

“Thank you, Shran,” Archer raised his glass in a toast.

Shran looked into his eyes, “To a swift victory.”

Shran meant it. He didn’t like Archer being in such an unsafe region of the galaxy. He worried about the pinkskin more often than he would like to admit. But he also wanted the humans to get their revenge. The sooner the better.

\------------------ 

Archer still didn’t fully understand why the Andorians would risk one of the best ships in their fleet to help them. The Vulcans had been their allies for over a hundred years and they weren’t even giving any assistance. So why would the Andorians, whom they’ve only known for about two years, care about what happened to them? He had a lot of questions for Shran. And what better way to get information out of someone than when they’re drinking? 

“How did you get picked for this assignment?” 

“I volunteered.” 

Archer was surprised, “Why?” 

“It just made sense. I’ve had the greatest amount of contact with humans and the last time we met you helped my people avert a war.” 

Archer had only spent maybe ten minutes in total with Shran so far that day, but he could tell that something about him was different. He was less hostile and almost unnervingly sincere. Archer liked this Shran, even more than he did before. He watched as Shran poured them another glass of Andorian ale, paying closer attention to the way he moved, the curve of his antennae, the cool shade of his skin. The last time Archer had seen him, he was contemplating whether or not he had more than platonic feelings for Shran. With the attack on Earth and this mission in the expanse, Archer had barely had time to consider it more or even think about Shran. But sitting here with him, sharing a much-needed drink with him, Archer felt those emotions come back again. For some reason, being with Shran just made him feel good. Calm. Safe. 

Shran’s fingers grazed Archer’s hand as he handed him another glass. Archer was hyperaware of their contact- reveling in the feeling of hot Andorian skin on his own, if only for a few seconds. 

“We keep doing each other favors.” 

Shran raised his glass and looked into Archer’s eyes, “Isn’t that how relationships are born?” 

Archer smiled and tipped back the shot of ale into his mouth. He knew that Shran was talking about the relationship between Earth and Andoria, but the small illogical voice in the back of his head liked to think that it was a reference to a burgeoning relationship between him and Shran. 

\------------------ 

Two shots later and Archer had moved them into his quarters, stating that he needed to check on his pet- a small beast with large ears. It immediately jumped onto Shran’s lap when he sat down and it began to lick his hands. Shran stared at it and allowed the animal to continue- he was unsure if movement would provoke it further.

Archer had been replenishing the thing’s food bowl when he looked over and smiled, “Looks like Porthos likes you.”

Shran didn’t see the appeal to an animal like this but he liked the way Archer seemed so happy in its presence, so that was good enough for Shran.

Shran could tell that Archer needed a break, at least a few hours of inhibition. He knew how it felt to be leading a crew to war and he was glad that he could provide some sort of respite for Archer tonight. That’s not to say Shran didn’t have his own selfish reasons for wanting to spend time with Archer. He was happy to see him and the more he talked with him, the more Shran realized that he genuinely enjoyed Archer’s company.

Shran steered their conversations away from the Xindi and asked Archer simple questions about Earth and his life before he was a starship captain. In return, Archer asked Shran questions about what it was like to live on Andoria and how his childhood was. Shran listened to Archer talk about he used to stare at the stars as a young boy and dream about going into space someday. It was then that Shran realized it was going to be very easy to fall in love with Archer- if he hadn’t already. Their conversations flowed seamlessly, yet they enjoyed the occasional comfortable silence in each other’s company.

It was after one such silence, that Archer brought up the war with the Xindi. Shran couldn’t blame him- he knew what it was like to have that kind of worry constantly infesting his thoughts.

“How do you do it?”

Shran looked at him quizzically, “Do what?”

“Lead a crew into a warzone, knowing that not everyone is going to make it out, without having a nervous breakdown.”

Shran shook his head- the truth is that he didn’t know. He was sorry that he couldn’t give Archer a good answer to his question. “You just get used to it.”

“And it gets easier?”

Shran wanted to say yes, give Archer some hope, but he couldn’t lie, “No.”

“You know, Trip- my chief engineer- his younger sister died in the attack. There are other members of the crew who lost family and friends. And they’re angry. They have every right to be,” Archer looked down at his hands. “I don’t want to let them down. Hell, I don’t want to let everyone back on Earth down either. If I don’t find this weapon, the Xindi could destroy the whole planet,” Archer downed the remaining ale in his glass.

“You have a lot of responsibility weighing on your shoulders.”

Archer nodded.

“I know you’re going to triumph, Archer.”

Archer let out a cynical huff, “I wish I was as confident in this as you.”

“You’re not in this alone, pinkskin. I’m going to personally make sure your mission is a success.”

Shran saw a glint of hope in Archer’s eyes. “Thank you, Shran. For everything.”

Shran got up from his chair and went over to Archer, putting a hand on his shoulder, “Get some sleep.”

Archer nodded and accompanied Shran to the door, “I had a really good time tonight- didn’t know how much I needed a few hours of down time.” Archer looked into his eyes, “Thanks.”

“It was my pleasure, pinkskin,” Shran smirked and left Archer’s quarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. sorry this took a little longer to update- i just wasn't motivated to write this week due to the fascist coup here in america lmao  
> 2\. this is only the first part of "proving ground" i'm going to post the second part of the episode as another chapter bc everything i wrote for this episode was like almost 5,000 words so i decided to break it up just to have some semblance of chapter length uniformity  
> 3\. that's also another reason why this chapter took so long to write- it was just huge. so anyway, the second part of this episode should be up in a day or two, i just need to edit it  
> 4\. almost forgot, in the beginning shran references uzaveh, who is the main god on andoria


	6. a forced betrayal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> still taking place during 3x13 "proving ground"

Since they had found the testing ground for the Xindi weapon thanks to help from the Andorians, Archer knew that getting his hands on the prototype would be extremely beneficial in building a defense against the final version. He was grateful Shran offered to assist them in retrieving it. Shran had even let him come aboard the _Kumari_ and oversee the weapon’s retrieval. Archer was surprised and thankful of the altruism the Andorians had shown them. Until he wasn’t. 

Shran looked over to Talas, “Inform the Imperial Guard we have the weapon. Set a course for Andoria- maximum warp.” 

Archer felt his heart rate jump and his vision tunneled, he stepped closer to Shran, “What are you doing?” 

Shran looked down, as if he couldn't bear to look into the eyes of the man he had just betrayed, “I’m afraid we won’t be taking orders from you any longer.” 

Archer seethed, “Now I see why you generously offered to let us use your ship. You son of a bitch!” He balled his fists and felt a wave of rage course through his body. 

“I was ordered to retrieve the weapon by whatever means necessary.” 

Archer couldn’t believe this. Just last night, Shran had told him that he would help the humans and make sure they won this war. Now here he was, turning his back on them nearly in the same breath. “I’m beginning to think the Vulcans may be right about you.” 

Shran stood up from his chair, “The Vulcans are the reason we’re doing this!” 

“What are you talking about?!” Archer yelled back at him, two could play at that game. 

“For 200 years, all that’s kept them from invading Andoria is the threat of massive retaliation. With a weapon of this magnitude at our disposal, they wouldn’t dare attack us.” 

Archer clenched his jaw, “You’re putting Earth at risk because of a border dispute with the Vulcans?” 

“We disrupted the Xindi test, took their weapon! We may have helped save your world!” 

Archer scoffed, “I guess I’m not familiar with the Andorian concept of help!” 

Shran looked away from him and lowered his voice, “I swore my oath to the Imperial Guard. My loyalty lies with them.” 

“My crew won’t let you take the weapon without a fight.” 

Shran shook his head, “Your ship isn’t fast enough to catch us. Besides, when Talas was working on Enterprise, she disrupted the main sensor array, even if they catch up to us, they would have no way to find us.” 

Archer drew the line at purposely sabotaging his ship. He wasn’t going to play nice anymore. Archer quickly drew his left arm back and landed a hard hook square on Shran’s face. “You like to talk about repaying debts. I’ve owed you that for a long time.” 

As soon as Archer spit out those words, he felt a jolt of pain in his own face, as if he had punched himself. Shran tumbled backwards onto his chair then looked up at Archer, blood dribbling from his lip. Archer noticed a wetness on his own lip and brought his hand up to it. Shran stared at his every movement as Archer touched his bottom lip and looked at his fingers to see his own blood staining them. This didn’t make any sense. 

Well... Unless his wild notions about him and Shran’s relationship were right. Could they really be soulmates? Is that why he now suddenly felt what appeared to be Shran’s pain? 

Archer furrowed his brow and took a few steps backward, nearly tripping over his own feet. Shran jumped up from the chair to catch his fall, but Archer violently shrugged him off, “Get off of me!” 

“Archer-” 

This was all too much for Archer to wrap his head around. He needed to get out of there, away from the Andorians and away from Shran. “Take me to an escape pod.” 

“Fine. I’ll bring you-” 

“No! I don’t want to talk to you or even be in the same quadrant as you.” 

Shran looked over to one of his crewmen, “Take him to an escape pod.” He looked back at Archer, “I’ll alert _Enterprise_ where to find you.” 

Being alone with his thoughts in that escape pod, all Archer could think about was Shran. He knew he should’ve been planning a way to get the weapon back, but he couldn’t focus on anything else. He thought his soulmate idea was just unfounded wishful thinking because of his stupid schoolboy crush on Shran but could it actually have been genuine intuition? Maybe there was another explanation, but there was something about the way Shran looked at him that made him think that Shran was expecting it. He didn’t look at all surprised to see Archer had a bloody lip. 

If they were soulmates, that would mean that Shran must have known by now. He had beaten up Archer, or been in the presence of someone beating up Archer nearly every time they’d met. There was no way he wouldn't have felt Archer’s pain. He had to have known. It sure looked like he did. 

\------------------ 

When Shran had received the order from his general to deceive the humans into getting the Xindi weapon, he was admittedly wary. Never in his life had he even thought about defying orders, but this was different. He had begun this mission as a way to strengthen relations with the humans, to show them that Andoria could be an ally. And now here he was, in the position of betraying the trust he had tried to build with Archer. He tried to reason with General Zh’sel, but to no avail. Zh’sel had even said that he hoped Shran’s “regard” for the pinkskin wouldn’t be an issue. If only he knew just how deep Shran’s regard and his connection to Archer really went.

Shran was being ordered to betray Archer’s trust, right after he had told him that he would do anything in his power to help the humans! Shran was torn... but he had his orders. He was an officer of the Imperial Guard and whether he liked it or not, that meant acting in the best interest of Andoria. He knew that after he went through with this, it was likely that he wouldn’t have any contact with Archer again. Deep down, he felt devastated. But he couldn’t focus on that. He had his own mission to carry out.

It was difficult- deceiving Archer. Made even more challenging due to the fact that he truly didn’t want to. Shran couldn’t bear to look at Archer’s face when he realized that he had been betrayed by the Andorians. As Archer’s soulmate, it was his duty to protect him from harm. He was deeply ashamed to be the one to keep that protection from him. He tried to explain himself, but both he and Archer knew they were only excuses.

When Archer punched Shran, it came as a complete surprise to him. And by the looks of it, Archer got a surprise of his own. He could see in Archer’s face that he had connected the dots. Shran knew he must’ve felt the pain from that punch, too. Archer even had his own bloody lip to prove it. Shran knew that Archer finally knew about their connection. He suspected that perhaps Archer had even begun to consider the possibility, just like Shran did before he accepted it. He wanted to speak to Archer about it, about everything. But Shran didn’t blame Archer for wanting nothing to do with him. So, he let him go.

After Archer left in the escape pod, Shran contacted General Zh’sel.

“Excellent work, I’ll see that you receive a commendation.”

“With respect, general, I’d prefer you didn’t.” There was nothing Shran did that day that deserved to be rewarded.

Zh’sel stared at him sternly, “Transmit your analysis as soon as possible.”

The screen went black and Shran sighed. He wanted this dreadful day to be over. He thought about how nice it would be when he would be able to take off his uniform and put his feet up later- relax with a glass or two of ale in his quarters, when suddenly he got a message from his bridge officer.

“Commander Shran?”

“What is it?”

“ _Enterprise_ is approaching.”

Shran immediately got up from the desk in his ready room and went to the bridge. Archer was put up on the viewscreen and demanded that Shran give them the weapon.

“You know I can’t do that, pinkskin.”

“Before I left in the escape pod, I didn’t get a chance to thank you for letting us access your sensor telemetry. When the Xindi tested the weapon, we were able to intercept their activation codes.”

Shran palms started to sweat. There was no way Archer would activate the weapon and blow up his ship, would he?

“Give it to us. Or we’ll detonate it in your cargo bay.”

He looked serious. Shran’s heart was beating far more quickly than he enjoyed, but he didn’t honestly think that Archer would go through with it. After all, if he activated the weapon, it would be destroyed in the explosion. “You’ll lose your prize.”

Archer looked at him pleadingly, “You told me you would help us, Shran. You can still make good on your offer.”

Was the pinkskin really trying to manipulate him through his feelings?

Was it actually working?

Shran spoke softly, “I’m sorry, pinkskin.”

“You’re not giving us any choice.”

Shran’s heart skipped. He wasn’t serious. Archer wouldn’t blow this ship up, especially not since Shran was on it. He could tell that Archer realized that him and Shran were soulmates. There was no way he would kill him. “I don’t believe you.” Shran looked over to Talas, “Take us into the anomaly field.”

Archer’s voiced hardened, “T'Pol.”

Shran stared at him, trying to determine whether Archer had actually activated the weapon but Archer just stared right back, blankly.

“Shran to cargo hold 3, what’s your status?”

“The firing matrix has activated. I believe the device is arming itself.”

“Shut it down!”

“We’re trying, commander.”

Archer smirked, “I’d get rid of it while you still can.”

Bastard.

Shran heard T’Pol speak, “They have less than 30 seconds.”

Archer looked at him with pleading eyes, “Shran.”

“20 seconds.”

Shran clenched his jaw, “Clear the hold! Prepare to open the bay doors.”

As he felt his ship jostle and shake due to the explosion, Shran couldn’t help but think about how he got what he deserved. He couldn’t hold this against Archer.

\----------------- 

“Just before we went to warp, we received a transmission from the Andorian ship. It wasn’t on one of their normal comm frequencies. It was encrypted to look like subspace interference,” T’Pol had called Archer to look at a transmission the ship had received. 

“Let’s see it,” Archer looked at the screen in front of him and saw a highly-detailed schematic of the Xindi weapon. 

“Apparently, they had time to take some detailed scans while it was aboard their ship. Judging from the clandestine nature of the transmission, I’d guess that whoever sent this didn’t want to be discovered.” 

Archer smirked. It looks like Shran had followed through with his promise to help him after all. 

After a couple days of ruminating over the situation with the Andorians, with Shran, Archer realized that he didn’t have any hard feelings about it. From what he gathered, Shran didn’t want to do it but he had no choice except to follow his orders. Archer certainly knew what that felt like. Archer had enjoyed the time with Shran that he spent the other night and he believed that Shran was genuine in his desire to help the humans. That must’ve been why he sent them the weapon’s schematics. 

All of these thoughts about Shran occupied his mind, but he tried not to think about the discovery he had made. Sometimes, it was too hard to believe. Well, he knew that there was no other logical explanation, not really. Archer knew all about Occam's Razor- that the simplest explanation is usually the right one. Following that logic, him and Shran were soulmates. It was difficult to fully comprehend at times, but there was no doubt in Archer’s mind that it was true. 

During that night they had spent together, Shran gave Archer the transmission frequency to his personal comm. Archer decided that it would only be right to thank Shran for the schematic. So, he called him. 

Shran’s face appeared on the small screen on Archer’s desk. He looked confused at first, then immediately perked up. 

“Don’t tell me you’ve gotten yourself into even more trouble, pinkskin,” Shran smirked. 

Archer chuckled, “No, I just figured I better thank you for keeping true to your word.” 

“I never intended to lie to you, Archer. I’m sorry things happened the way they did,” Shran frowned and looked down. 

“It’s not your fault, Shran.” Archer shrugged, “It’s water under the bridge.” 

Shran furrowed his brow and Archer realized he must’ve been confused about the idiom. 

“Oh, uh, it’s a saying on Earth. It just means that what’s in the past is in the past and it’s forgotten. Like forgive and forget.” 

Shran smiled at Archer’s explanation, “I see. I look forward to learning more strange human phrases as our... friendship grows.” 

Archer’s palms started to feel sweaty. He could tell that there was an electricity between them- a buzzing of unspoken thoughts that were begging to be released. “Well, I’m happy to teach them to you.” 

Shran looked at him softly, “Well, I was just about to go to sleep before you called- need to get my three hours in for the night.” 

Archer shook his head and grinned, “I know that you’re Andorian but you should still be getting more sleep than that.” 

“You’re one to talk, pinkskin. You told me the other day that you don’t get as much sleep as you should anymore.” 

Archer shrugged, “Looks like that’s something we both need to work on.” 

“The only time I can sleep well is if I have someone next to me. That’s the worst part of commanding a space vessel- no one to keep you company. I suppose that’s why you brought your pet along.” 

Archer had become very confused about where this conversation had headed, "Uh yeah.” Truthfully, his mind was still reeling from the first sentence of Shran’s remark, “I never would’ve taken you for a cuddler.” 

Shran chuckled, “You’d be surprised at some of the things you don’t know about me.” 

Archer nodded and smiled, “I’m sure I would.” 

They looked at each other for a moment, stewing in the tension that was brewing between them. Archer wondered if Shran was going to bring up the soulmate topic. 

Shran broke their reverie, “Goodnight, Archer.” 

“Goodnight, Shran.” 

The monitor went blank and Archer realized that he had been tensed up for the last half of the call as he relaxed his body and let out a heavy breath. He knew that whatever was in store for him and Shran was bound to be interesting. Archer couldn’t help but grin- unbelievably happy that he had found his soulmate and that he could actually see himself falling in love with Shran one day. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- whew glad to be done with this episode tbh... 5,000 words later  
> \- next chapter closes out the xindi arc and how shran helped with that, i've had it written for weeks so it should be up soon


	7. checking up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> takes place from 3x18 "azati prime" (where archer is taken and beaten by the xindi) all the way to the end of the season because those episodes all happen in like a day or two

Archer was lying in bed, failing in his attempt to get some rest, when he heard his communication screen beep. He inhaled deeply and rolled out of bed, knowing that his chances of sleep that night were going to be slim. He turned on the screen and was happy to see the familiar face of someone who might be able to help him stop thinking about the Xindi. Archer couldn’t help but smile slightly at the unexpected call from Shran. 

Archer noticed that Shran had light purple bruises around both of his eyes and a pretty bad crack in his lip- the same injuries that Archer had gotten the day before. After Archer punched Shran the last time he saw him, he knew that him and Shran were connected- that they were soulmates. The bruising on his face now only further proved his conclusion. With everything that had been happening with the Xindi, Archer barely had time to even think about how he felt about it or what it meant for him. He just had more pressing issues that were constantly taking up his thoughts. 

“Are you all right, pinkskin?” Archer noticed that Shran’s tone of voice wasn’t as excited and aloof as it normally was- it was gravely serious. 

Archer shrugged and tried to play it off like it was nothing, “I’ve been better.” 

Shran didn’t look too amused at Archer’s attempt to lighten the situation. “What happened?” 

Archer was so tired of thinking and talking about the Xindi. Just once, he wanted to have a normal discussion, for even a few minutes. 

“You look pretty beat up yourself. What happened to you?” Archer wanted to see how Shran would react to such an inane question. He knew that Shran must have already known that they were soulmates, but they still hadn’t actually acknowledged it. Archer was curious to see if Shran would be the one to finally address it. 

“You know that nothing happened to me,” Shran sighed. “Tell me how you got hurt.” 

Archer was surprised at how serious Shran was, like he was genuinely concerned for Archer’s safety. Well, given that they’re soulmates, he had every right to be. 

“I got captured by the Xindi. They chained me up and beat me.” 

“Any damage to your internal organs? Broken bones?” 

“No, Shran. I’m fine, just got some nasty bruises.” 

Shran looked like he was lost in his thoughts and took a few moments before finally speaking, “I’m coming to help you.” 

Archer didn’t understand, “What?” 

Shran spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully, “I could... tell that you were in a bad situation. So, I contacted Starfleet and asked for an update on your mission. I’ve talked to the Imperial Guard and we’ve decided to come and help you defeat the Xindi. I’m only a day away.” 

“Shran, I-” 

“Don’t argue with this, Archer. I’ve made the decision and both Starfleet and the Imperial Guard think it’s for the best.” 

“I- I don’t know what to say...” Archer trailed off. He couldn’t believe that he was finally getting some help out here. Even though he didn’t want to put Shran and his crew in danger, he was relieved to have the extra support. 

“I don’t have much time to talk. I have to go. Please, stay safe until I get there.” 

“I will. Thank you, Shran.” 

“Anything for you, pinkskin,” Shran smirked. 

The transmission cut out and Archer was left there, speechless. 

\------------------------ 

It was nighttime and Shran was going through the daily reports from the ship when he felt the familiar pain from Archer. It was bad this time, very bad. He could feel shooting pain in his entire body and it lasted for hours. When he finally went to the mirror to see the evidence, there were bruises and cuts on his entire face. Shran took off his shirt and noticed the dark purple marks that were forming on his abdomen, as well. A tear slid down his cheek as he thought about the way Archer must’ve looked right now. He hated feeling so helpless, being unable to protect someone he cared for. He didn’t allow himself to imagine potential scenarios that Archer must be in for this to have occurred- that would have been too much for him to handle.

The first thing Shran did the following morning was contact Starfleet Command. They updated him on how Archer’s mission was going and told him about the recent dealings with the Xindi. Shran told them that he would do everything he could to help. He was thankful that the humans were more trusting of him and his people than the Vulcans ever were. After his call with Starfleet, Shran contacted General Zh’sel. Shran practically pleaded to Zh’sel to let him and his crew go help the humans. He gave many genuine, intelligent reasons why they should, but really they were all just excuses. In all honesty, Shran wasn’t sure that he would be so eager to help the humans if Archer wasn’t his soulmate. Eventually, Zh’sel relucted and took Shran’s proposal to the committee of the Imperial Guard, who deliberated it for the rest of the day. As soon as he got the news that he would be allowed to help Archer, Shran immediately contacted him.

As Archer’s image came up on his screen, Shran held back a wince at the state of his injuries. Shran asked him how he was doing, and he didn’t appreciate the way Archer made the situation seem trivial.

Shran knew that Archer wasn’t stupid- he knew that Archer finally had concrete proof that they were soulmates. So, when Archer asked what had happened to Shran, it took all the mental strength he had to keep his composure. This was the first time either of them had even slightly acknowledged the fact that they were both aware of their connection to each other, but Shran knew that this wasn’t the time or place to get into that discussion. He stuck to business and informed Archer that he was on his way to help, and left the call. Truthfully, Shran had had a hard time looking at the visible evidence of all of the pain that Archer had endured. Shran was glad to have been able to talk to him again, but he was more set on making sure he got to Archer to keep him safe.

Shran breathed a sigh of relief as the _Kumari_ made it through the space vortex, following the humans to the Xindi weapon that had been deployed near Earth. He answered the Xindi ship’s hail and saw Archer pop on the viewscreen.

“Thought you weren’t gonna make it.” 

“Consider yourself lucky that we did. I wasn’t sure if the _Kumari_ would make it through the vortex either.” 

Archer smiled, “Well, thanks for stopping by. Now let’s disable this weapon.” 

Shran nodded and the viewscreen went blank. 

Shran was incredibly nervous during the entire attack. He could feel Archer getting punched occasionally and hoped that he would be able to disable the weapon and make it out of there in time. There was nothing Shran could do to help him now; he just had to wait. Shran stood up and paced around the bridge, fiddling with his fingers as he tried to calm himself down. When the weapon exploded, Shran immediately contacted the other ship. They didn’t answer his hail for a few minutes.

When the viewscreen finally turned on, Shran demanded, “Where’s Archer?!” 

Shran didn’t really remember anyone saying that he was dead, that Archer didn’t make it out before the blast, he just remembered the looks on everyone’s faces. No one could look him in the eye and tell him the news, like they didn’t want to say it out loud for fear of it becoming absolute truth.

When the viewscreen turned black, Shran stood there for a few moments- silent and unmoving.

Talas broke him out of his stupor, “Sir?”

“Get us out of here. Warp 7.”

“Where, sir?”

Shran shrugged, “Home.”

Shran walked into his ready room and slunk down into the chair behind his desk. He couldn’t believe that Archer was gone. He didn’t feel anything. But then, maybe when someone dies in a giant explosion, there’s no pain to be felt.

The only thing Shran could feel now was utter loneliness.

When Shran finally retired to his quarters that night, he immediately went to bed. He wanted to be anything other than conscious- he couldn’t handle all of the thoughts and feeling racing through his head anymore. He slept deeply, but jolted awake as he felt a hot stinging sensation in his shoulder.

Shran groaned and clutched at his arm. The pain didn’t feel like anything else he had ever experienced before. He got out of bed and turned the light on to see a dark blue spot of blood on his mattress. Shran looked around to see if anyone had gotten into his room but no one was there. He breathed heavily and continued to clutch at his shoulder, thinking about what all of this meant.

It was Archer- it had to be. There was no other explanation.

He was alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- some may not remember, but the pain that shran feels at the end is when archer gets shot by a 20th century earth gun after he's transported into the past in 4x01


	8. confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> takes place during 4x12 "babel one"

Archer winced as he felt a deep ache spread throughout his body. Shran must have gotten into some kind of trouble. He quickly excused himself from the Tellarite guests he was entertaining and went to the bathroom. Archer looked in the mirror and saw cuts forming all across face. He sighed as he soaked up the blood with some toilet paper. This was the worst possible time for Shran to get injured- the Tellarite ambassador and his colleagues were incessantly demanding. He wouldn’t get the chance to call Shran anytime soon to check if he was okay. Though, it didn’t feel like Shran had gotten hurt too badly. On the bright side of things, this injury allowed him to escape a Tellarite who had been complaining to him about the food. 

“Captain Archer to the bridge.” 

Archer groaned- it seemed like there was never a dull moment in his life anymore. 

As he walked onto the bridge, Hoshi immediately alerted him of the current problem. 

“We’ve picked up a message on an Andorian channel.” 

She played the message- there was heavy static, but Archer would’ve been able to recognize that voice anywhere. It was Shran. Archer wasn’t able to work all of the words out but he got the idea that the _Kumari_ had been attacked and that they needed help as soon as possible. 

Archer felt a knot forming in his stomach and his palms started to sweat. Maybe Shran wasn’t alright after all. 

“How long to intercept them at maximum warp?” 

“Two hours,” Travis replied. 

Archer decided that the Tellarites might just have to be a little late to their trade conference with the Andorians. 

“Alter course.” 

\------------- 

Shran should've known that _Enterprise_ would’ve been the ship to intercept their distress call. Archer was never one to ignore a plea for help. Shran hadn’t had the chance to see Archer since his near-miss with death. They certainly had a lot to catch up on, but Shran had a duty to his crew above all else. As soon as he got onboard, he went to sickbay to ensure that his crew was getting the proper medical care they needed. Shran didn’t trust the Denobulan doctor. Andorians possessed a unique physiology that few non-Andorian physicians could truly grasp.

Not long after Shran got to the medical bay, Archer and T’Pol walked in. Shran had to admit that seeing Archer helped calm some of his nerves and ground him. He immediately noticed the cuts and bruising on Archer’s face and realized that that must’ve been what he looked like. It wasn’t pretty.

Shran walked up to Archer, restraining himself from pulling him in for an embrace. He was so tired of the unspoken tension between them. Archer was his soulmate! Shran was sick of pretending like he wasn’t.

Archer politely smiled at him and Shran decided that it would be best if he just got to business and skipped any intimate pleasantries, especially with all of the people around them.

“How many of my crew did you rescue?”

“Nineteen,” Archer’s voice was soft.

Shran frowned and looked away, “Our complement was 86.”

He couldn’t believe that so many of his crew had died. All of those people gone, under his command.

“Your distress call said you were attacked.”

“Tellarites! We were escorting our ambassador to the trade conference when they dropped out of warp and fired on us without warning.” Shran walked closer to Archer, “I suggest you scan for our data recorder. It will contain the sensor logs of the attack.”

Archer looked over to T’Pol, who had been rather rudely staring at both of them. Her Vulcan eyebrows were furrowed and Shran could tell that she had come to the realization that he and Archer were soulmates. Looking at both of them now, it didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

Thankfully, Archer told her to conduct the scans and she left them alone.

Shran looked at Archer and grinned, “We seem to keep running into each other, Captain. As if we’re somehow tethered to each other.”

Archer didn’t reply to Shran’s cheeky comment- he just smirked in return.

“It’s fortunate that _Enterprise_ was close by.”

Archer broke away from their gaze, “It’s not a coincidence, Shran. We’re carrying the Tellarite delegation.”

Shran should’ve known that _Enterprise_ being in this region was more than a coincidence.

“They’re aboard this ship?!”

Archer sighed, “These aren’t the people who attacked you.”

Shran angrily turned away from Archer and headed for the door, “They may know who did!”

“Shran!” Archer grabbed onto his elbow and leaned over him. He stared intensely into his eyes, “You’re on my ship.”

The Tellarites were lucky that they were on Archer’s ship because if it was anyone else, he wouldn’t care to show any respect. If Archer wouldn’t have stopped him, there would’ve been bloodshed.

\---------------- 

Archer knew that if somehow the Tellarites saw Shran and noticed that Archer had the same exact injuries as him, they might think that he would be incapable of being impartial during the trade negotiations. He didn’t want to jeopardize the entire conference just because he happened to be soulmates with an Andorian. So, Archer decided that it would be best to visit Dr. Phlox to see if he could do anything to help with the cuts and bruising. 

“I’m afraid there isn’t a quick fix for injuries like these. However, I can cover them up with makeup.” 

Archer sighed, “That’ll have to do.” 

Phlox got his makeup kit and began to apply various creams to Archer’s skin. 

“I noticed that Commander Shran has similar injuries on his face.” 

Archer stared at the wall ahead of him. He couldn’t believe that his first real conversation about Shran being his soulmate would turn out to be with Phlox of all people. 

“Yep.” 

“Does he know?” Phlox spoke gently as he applied concealer to Archer’s eye. 

“I think he must’ve known long before I caught on.” 

Phlox furrowed his brow, “You haven’t discussed it with him?” 

“We’ve always been too busy,” Archer shrugged. 

“There’s no need to skirt around the issue. This is a very exciting time for both of you! Soulmates are a wonderful thing,” Phlox smiled. 

Archer nodded, “I think I’m going to bring it up later today- we've planned to meet for drinks.” 

Phlox finished applying the setting powder and grinned, “I hope all goes well.” 

\--------------- 

The first thing Shran noticed as he walked into Archer’s mess was his seemingly perfect, unblemished face.

Shran smirked as he sat in the chair across from Archer, “Nice makeup.”

Archer smiled and looked down at his hands, “Well, I can’t have people thinking that we’re soulmates or anything.”

“You beat me to it,” Shran chuckled.

“What?”

“I was planning on addressing the proverbial elephant in the room, as you pinkskins would say.”

Archer smiled uncomfortably, “Sorry to ruin your plan.”

Shran scrutinized him for a few seconds. Archer seemed to be more closed off than he’d ever seen. He had heard that humans were sometimes uncomfortable with their emotions but Shran never thought they would be on par with Vulcans. He knew he would have to be the one to push the conversation forward.

“So, what do you think?”

“Huh?”

Shran smirked, “About us.”

“Oh. Uh, good. It’s good. You’re good.”

Shran chuckled and raised his eyebrows, “Good.”

Archer rubbed the back of his neck and continued to look at anything except Shran. “Sorry, I’m just not used to this. I’ve never been very good at relationships.”

Shran smiled as he reached for the bottle of Andorian ale he brought, along with the two glasses.

“I mean, I didn’t mean relationship. I don't know- Um, whatever you want to call it.”

Shran couldn't help but find himself amused at seeing Archer so flustered. In all honesty, it was very endearing. He poured them both a glass of ale and handed one to Archer, “Here. This should help calm your nerves.”

Archer immediately gulped it down and poured himself another glass, “Sorry I’m acting so weird.”

“No need to apologize.” Shran hadn’t drank his glass yet and held it up in a toast, “To the future.”

Archer smiled and followed suit as he drank his second ale.

A short silence lingered between them as Shran waited for the burning sensation from the alcohol to dissipate. “Are you interested in having a relationship with me?”

Archer slowly nodded, as if it was something that he had given a lot of thought to but was still trepidatious about. “Yeah, I am.”

Shran felt a wave of relaxing relief move through his body. He had grown so attached to Archer throughout the years. He didn’t know how he would’ve handled a rejection from his soulmate.

Shran smiled, “You don’t know how much joy that answer brings me.”

Archer finally looked over to him, “It’s not going to be easy.”

“Things that are worthwhile seldom are."

“You’re right about that.”

There were so many questions that Shran wanted to ask him. He figured he’d start at the beginning. “When did you know?”

“I kind of always had an inkling. To tell you the truth, in the beginning it was wishful thinking because I might have had a little bit of a crush on you.”

Shran grinned widely, “Oh, really?”

Archer chuckled, “I guess it was fate.”

“When were you sure?”

Archer furrowed his brow in contemplation, “Well, it was probably about the third time that you got a bloody nose at the same time as I did that I pretty much knew. But it wasn’t until I punched you that I was completely certain.”

Shran chuckled at the memory, “I could see the realization on your face.”

“If you never would’ve betrayed me, I never would’ve been sure that we’re soulmates,” Archer laughed.

“Gotta look at the bright side of things,” Shran still felt a twinge of guilt whenever he looked back on that incident.

“What about you? When did you know?”

“I had my suspicions from the first time we met.”

“You did beat the crap out of me.”

“Yeah, and I felt all of it.”

“Poor you,” Archer smiled sarcastically.

“It wasn’t until the second time we met that I knew. Then it took me a while to accept it.”

“Didn’t want to be soulmates with a pinkskin?”

“Did you want your soulmate to be an Andorian?”

Archer shrugged, “Well, your species doesn’t matter to me now. You’re just Shran.”

“Right, but at that point you were just a random human to me.”

“Not anymore though, I hope.”

“Not even close,” Shran smiled and looked at Archer’s hand that was resting on the table. He contemplated moving his hand across the table and touching Archer’s, but he wasn’t sure what would be acceptable with regard to human mating customs. Unfortunately, he knew next to nothing about their species’ rituals surrounding romantic relationships.

Shran decided to take a chance and slowly moved his hand across the table and touched the tips of Archer’s fingertips with his own.

He looked up and saw that a smile had formed on Archer’s face- a good sign. Shran laced his fingers in between Archer’s.

“Is this okay?”

A pink blush had formed across Archer’s cheeks, “Perfect.”

Shran grinned- giddy to see what the future held in store for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> omg next chapter is finally the gay fight scene y'all let's gooooo


	9. intricate rituals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> takes place during 4x12 "babel one" and 4x13 "united"

_Enterprise_ had been attacked- by an Andorian ship, but Shran could feel that something wasn’t right. An Andorian vessel would never fire on an Earth vessel without warning, especially after hearing that there were members of their own species on board. No, someone else was behind this. And Shran knew who. The Tellarite ambassador, Gral, must have had more information and Shran was going to do everything in his power to get it out of him.

Shran and Talas had come up with a plan to break into Gral’s quarters and interrogate him about the attacks on both the _Kumari_ and _Enterprise_. Unforunately, they had barely started the interrogation before Archer and his soldiers had interfered.

Archer pointed his weapon at Shran. “Stay out of this, pinkskin.”

Shran’s weapon was pointed at Gral, while Talas had her weapon fixed on Gral’s aid, Naarg. Shran knew that Archer wouldn’t actually shoot him; nevertheless, they were at a standstill. Shran growled in frustration. It wasn’t fair for Archer, of all people, to come in here and try to stop him. The pinksin knew what he was doing. Regardless, Shran wasn’t going to let his feelings get in the way of avenging his crewmembers- he kept his phase pistol in Gral’s face.

Archer talked slowly and softly, “Shran, listen to me. The ship that attacked you wasn’t Tellarite.”

“I was there!” The audacity of humans would never fail to astound and annoy Shran.

Archer lowered his gun, “I can prove it. You’re both being set up by someone who doesn’t want this conference to go forward. The ship is equipped with holographic emitters that can change its appearance.”

Shran kept his weapon trained on Gral. He still wasn’t convinced that the Tellarites were completely innocent. Archer looked into his eyes and he could feel the sincerity emanating from them.

“Shran. Please, look at the evidence before you do something you’re gonna regret.”

Shran sighed. He should’ve known that he wouldn’t have been able to win against Archer, and his explanation made sense anyway. It would also explain why the so-called Andorian ship attacked _Enterprise_. Shran looked at Gral’s face and saw the terror in his eyes. He glanced back to find Archer’s soft, pleading gaze still boring through him. Shran lowered his weapon and handed it to Archer.

In that moment, Naarg took Talas’ weapon and fired at her. Shran felt all of the air escape his lungs as he watched her fall to the ground. Archer immediately turned to Naarg and fired the weapon Shran had just given him at the Tellarite.

Shran went over to Talas, who had been shot straight through the chest, and kneeled down next to her.

“Talas?” There was no response.

Shran knew there would never be one because the phaser was set to kill. He growled angrily and stood up, eager to avenge the death of his first officer.

Archer shouted, “Get him out of here!”

All of the soldiers that Archer had brought with him swarmed Shran and dragged him out of the room, kicking and screaming.

\------------ 

A few hours later, Archer had been talking to Gral and Naarg when Shran abruptly entered the room. Archer shielded the Tellarites- he knew how angry and upset Shran must have been about Talas’ death. Not only was Talas his first officer and fellow guardsman but she was also his friend. Archer had tried to talk to Shran earlier, comfort him, but Shran sent him away each time he tried. 

Shran looked into his eyes, “I only want to talk.” 

“We’re listening,” Archer hesitantly allowed Shran to approach the table the Tellarites were sitting at. 

Shran circled the table, keeping his fiery gaze on Naarg, “You need to know about Talas, the woman you killed.” 

“She attacked us!” Naarg replied. 

“The attack was over when you shot her!” 

Archer could almost see the anger emanating from Shran’s body. He knew that he would have to keep a close eye on Shran because there was no knowing whether or not he had actually come to kill Naarg in revenge. 

Shran continued speaking, “Her family was privileged, her parents wealthy. She could have chosen any career, never known discomfort. But she felt the call of duty. She pledged her life to the Imperial Guard. Talas could have had anything.” Shran paused, making sure that Naarg was paying attention, “I just wanted you to know.” 

Naarg squirmed in his seat, visibly uncomfortable with confronting the consequences of his actions. Archer noticed Shran reach into his inside jacket pocket and he quickly leapt over to him, ready to stop Shran from using whatever weapon he was carrying. But as Archer reached for Shran’s hand, it wasn’t any type of weapon he felt. It was a small jar. Archer opened it and saw that it was filled with a blue liquid. 

“It’s her blood.” 

Archer handed the jar back to Shran. “When a guardsman dies far from home, their companions carry a part of them back to the ice of Andoria.” 

Shran slowly walked over to Naarg and looked into his eyes, “I wanted you to know that, too.” 

Suddenly, Shran grabbed ahold of Naarg’s arm and poured the blood onto the Tellarite’s hand, “Before you die!” 

Archer immediately pulled Shran away from Naarg, “That’s enough!” 

“Not until his blood pays for hers!” Shran pointed at Naarg, “You will face justice at my hands!” 

“That’s not gonna happen on my ship!” Archer glared at Shran, angry that he was causing even more of a disturbance and disrespecting his authority. 

“Yes, it will, pinkskin, because if you and the Tellarites don't show respect for Andorian tradition, the Imperial Guard will pull out of the conference.” 

“What tradition?” 

“Unless the murderer meets me in combat, your precious alliance is finished!” Shran stormed out of the room. 

Archer called after him, “Shran!” He was already gone. Archer could tell that Shran was serious about this and nothing he could do or say would convince him to call off whatever combat tradition this was. He was going to have to find some way around it. 

\------------- 

Shran sharpened the blade of his ushaan-tor as Archer walked into his quarters, “Please, make yourself at home.”

Shran saw Archer roll his eyes at the remark. Archer eyed the ushaan-tor in Shran’s hands. “An old friend. I carry it everywhere.”

Archer shook his head, “Why are you doing this Shran? After everything we’ve been through together- forging this alliance between Earth and Andoria. You want to throw it away? For what? Personal vengeance?”

“There's more to this than Talas. I lost my ship, almost my entire crew. If I do nothing to avenge these losses, what kind of leader am I? Why should any soldier follow me again? Besides, you should be wishing me luck. I’ll try to avoid any hits from the Tellarite pig so that you won’t have to feel them, too.”

“Shran, that is the last thing on my mind right now. Do you know how it would make me look if I let you go through with this?”

“This has nothing to do with you, pinkskin!”

“I don’t want to see another death happen aboard my ship! Especially one as preventable and unnecessary as this!”

“This is tradition, Archer. It is necessary.”

Archer sighed, “Ambassador Gral is refusing to let Naarg participate.”

Shran chuckled, “There is no choice.”

“I spoke to him about the rules of the Ushaan. Specifically, the right of substitution.”

Shran smirked inwardly to himself. Leave it to the cowardly Tellarite to rely on others to do his killing for him. Shran was surprised that Gral would even offer himself up in Naarg’s place. Noble for a Tellarite.

“The ambassador’s decided to fight in place of his underling?”

Archer shook his head, “Not the ambassador.”

Shran looked into Archer’s eyes and felt his stomach churn, “You wouldn’t.”

Archer continued to stare into him with a grave expression, “I’m the substitute. You’re going to have to fight me.”

Shran shook his head, he couldn’t believe that Archer would stoop so low, “You’re bluffing.”

Archer didn’t respond, just continued to look straight into him.

“You know I can’t kill you.”

“Then call it off.”

“I can’t!”

“So, you’re going to kill me then?”

Shran growled and threw the ushaan-tor on the table, “Sometimes you make it very difficult for me to like you, Archer.”

“Well get used to it,” Archer’s voice was stern and serious.

Shran sighed and put his head in his hands as he contemplated the situation. “If you were anyone else, I would have no problem defeating you in the Ushaan.”

“You mean if I wasn’t your soulmate?”

Shran looked over to Archer and glared at him, “You’re lucky, pinkskin.”

Archer raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders in smug victory.

“How am I supposed to avenge my crew now?”

Archer inhaled deeply, “Shran, I understand that your culture values revenge very highly but I need you to see this from my perspective.”

Shran sighed, “People will think I’m coward if I don’t go through with this.”

A brief silence lingered between them until Archer broke it, “So, let’s do it.”

Shran furrowed his eyebrows, maybe Archer was even crazier than he already thought.

“I was reading up on all of the rules of the Ushaan and I found one that we might be able to use.”

Shran wasn’t very confident in Archer’s ability to understand the intricacies of the Ushaan but he was curious nonetheless, “Which is?”

“If one of the fighters is rendered defenseless, then the Ushaan is over.”

Shran huffed, “That only happens if someone has been beaten close to death. It’s too dangerous.”

“Well, I was talking to Phlox and Hoshi and we came up with an idea that could work.”

Shran didn’t like where this conversation was heading. He knew Archer was somewhat of a masochist- the way he constantly put himself in danger. Shran wasn’t about to inflict any more serious damage on his soulmate than he’d already done in the past.

Shran reluctantly replied, “Go on.”

“Phlox told me that Andorian antennae have the ability to regenerate.”

Shran swore that his heart stopped beating for a second. Now he really didn’t like where the conversation seemed to actually be heading. “No.”

“They don’t?”

“No, it's- our antennae do grow back after many months but I don’t want to do that.”

Archer threw his arms in the air in frustration, “It’s a perfect out, Shran. You need both of your antennae for balance. If I just-”

“If you just what? Slice my antenna off?!”

“Shran, I don’t want to do this! You’re giving me no choice. If you want both of us to come out of this battle alive then that’s probably our safest bet.”

Shran rubbed his hand over his face and sighed. He knew Archer was right and, in all honesty, the plan was pretty smart. “The things I do for you.”

Archer smirked, “You’re lucky I came up with this plan because I would’ve taken you down in the Ushaan.”

Shran let out an amused huff- this was going to be an interesting day.

\---------------- 

Even though he had basically choreographed the whole fight with Shran earlier, Archer was still a bit nervous to actually do it. They both agreed that they would need to act as if it were completely real, in order to convince everyone that Shran had truly avenged his losses. It didn’t help Archer’s anxiety that so many people would be watching them. Of course, all of Shran’s crew that were physically able to be there were in attendance. This whole spectacle was essentially just for them. The only other people who knew that it wasn’t real were Hoshi and Phlox. 

Phlox attached the metal device onto Archer’s hand and smirked, “Good luck.” 

“Take your places,” T’Pol had volunteered to act as mediator. 

He walked over to her while Shran did the same. 

“There is still time to end this,” T’Pol seemed concerned and, in that moment, Archer felt slightly guilty for not telling her the truth, but him and Shran agreed that the less people that knew the truth, the more genuine their fight would seem. 

“It can only end one way.” Shran looked straight into Archer’s eyes, “This is not what I wanted.” 

Leave it to Shran to go all out with the theatrics. Archer chuckled inwardly to himself. “Things have a way of turning out differently than we expect.” 

“I’m glad we met. In your honor, I’ll continue to support cooperation between the Imperial Guard and your species.” 

It took every ounce of willpower inside Archer’s body to not roll his eyes at Shran’s dramatics. 

“Let’s get this over with. I got a ship to run,” Archer held up his hand with the metal cast on it. 

T’Pol attached a chain to his cast and then to Shran’s, connecting them together. The tether that him and Shran had always carried between them, now visible. 

Shran immediately jerked his arm towards his body, causing Archer to lurch forward. Shran smirked at him and Archer tried to quell the inappropriate feelings that arose inside him. So, Shran liked to be in control, liked to tease Archer with a domineering attitude. If he was being honest, Archer had thought about what it would like to submit to Shran, to be dominated by him. But now wasn't the time or place to bring those thoughts and feelings back up. Archer wouldn’t let it get to him, not in front of all these people. 

“I’ll take your blood to Andoria, to the wall of heroes.” One of Shran’s men handed him his ushaan-tor. 

“I’m honored you think so highly of me,” Archer smirked and grabbed his own weapon from Hoshi. 

They looked into each other's eyes for a few seconds then got into the first formation they had practiced. 

“You have the first move.” 

Before Shran could finish his sentence, Archer jerked the chain forward and sent Shran flying in his direction. They thrashed around on the ground, narrowly missing each other every time one of them swung the blade. They had already discussed that Shran would have to get a few good hits in, in order to make the fight believable. At every move Shran made, Archer was fearfully anticipating a surprise blow. They were hoping that the fast-paced action would distract people from noticing whenever they got the same cuts or injuries. 

They continued dueling, the sound of metal on metal permeated the room. Shran kicked Archer’s body completely onto the ground and plunged the edge of the ushaan-tor into his thigh. Archer cried out as the visceral pain spread throughout his leg. He looked over to Shran and could tell that he was trying to keep his expression neutral even though he must’ve been in just as much pain. 

Archer took the opportunity to leap onto Shran’s body and he brought the ushaan-tor down to Shran’s neck. Shran blocked the maneuver with his own weapon and they stared into each other’s eyes as they both took a moment to catch their breaths. Archer could feel the sweat dripping down his nose. His eyes roamed over Shran’s face and landed on his blue lips. Why of all times did Archer feel the urge to kiss Shran? His heart was beating quickly from the fight but as he continued looking at Shran’s lips and thinking about how they would feel on his own, his heart began to beat even faster. 

“Please, Archer, not in front of my crew,” Shran whispered with a smirk. 

His voice pulled Archer from his fantasizing reverie and he rolled off of Shran, who immediately got back onto his feet but Archer was afraid that his injured leg wouldn’t be able to support his body weight. 

“Give up. A single stroke and there’ll be no pain.” 

“You think I’m losing?” Archer slowly, painfully got back onto his feet, “I’m just trying to make you look good in front of your soldiers.” If only Shran’s crew knew just how true that statement was. 

Archer swung at Shran, the ushaan-tor sliced a shallow cut onto the side of his face. Archer felt the sting on his own skin and reveled in the feeling of their shared pain. He noticed that Shran seemed to be taken off guard- probably surprised by Archer’s assertiveness. Archer decided to take the opportunity to get the fight over with and perform the final maneuver they had practiced. 

He got close enough to Shran to swing the chain that was connecting them around his neck. Shran dropped his ushaan-tor and brought his free hand up to the chain in an attempt to loosen it. That was all for theatrics, of course. Archer made sure to pull the chain only hard enough to look convincing to the audience. 

“Now do you give up?” 

Shran feigned a few choking noises and yelled, “Never!” 

Archer tightened the chain slightly and Shran fell to his knees. 

“Wrong choice.” Archer held his ushaan-tor high in the air and braced himself for the inevitable pain that both he and Shran would experience. He quickly swung it down, slicing off a few inches of Shran’s left antenna. 

Shran loudly cried out and Archer fell to the ground, knocked down by the visceral pain that bore deep inside his skull. 

\------------ 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t think it would hurt that bad.”

Shran looked up to Archer, who was standing over his hospital bed. “What does it feel like for you?”

“Like a hot icepick is stuck in my skull.”

“This will help with that,” Phlox walked up to Archer and handed him a few pills.

Shran narrowed his eyes, “He knows about us?”

Archer smirked, “Who do you think has been doing my makeup to hide our matching face wounds?”

Shran looked over to Phlox and eyed him, considering whether or not the Denobulan could be trusted.

“Don’t worry, I abide by doctor/patient confidentiality,” Phlox must have been able to sense Shran’s scrutiny.

Shran sat up and flung his legs over the side of the bed. He planted his feet on the ground and tried to walk forward but immediately began to trip. Thankfully, Archer was right next to him and caught him.

“Your brain will begin to compensate within a day or two,” Phlox stated.

Shran walked over to a mirror to look at his antenna and sighed at the depressing sight, “They take nine months to grow back.”

“If left untreated. With electrical stimulation and brisk cranial massage, you’ll be back to normal in half that time,” Phlox assured him, then went to tend to his animals.

“You look miserable.”

“I feel miserable,” Shran retorted.

“Just remember you brought this upon yourself by not backing down from the Ushaan,” Archer smiled and placed a small kiss on Shran’s forehead.

Shran knew he was right. Honestly, he was glad this whole situation turned out the way it did. Shran never truly enjoyed taking another person’s life, having more blood on his hands.

Plus, every good Andorian courtship needs some kind of physical altercation between the parties involved. Archer certainly held his own with Shran- a good sign for the future of their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- sorry for not updating for a month  
> \- we're on the home stretch y'all, one more chapter and then that's it for canon (i'm disregarding the ent finale for this fic)  
> \- i've decided to break up this series by during-canon and post-canon. the next installment of this series will have a different writing style (no alternating pov and it'll just be snippets of their lives, the story won't be continuous like this one) so because of that, i decided that it would be better if i broke up the story into two works. the second part of the series will be 3 maybe 4 chapters


End file.
